Method for cleaning paint brushes



2,697,674 Patented Dec. 21, 1954 METHOD FOR CLEANING PAINT BRUSHES Howard L. Eisen, Philadelphia, Pa., assignor to Glamorene, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York No Drawing. Application October 24, 1951, Serial No. 252,971

6 Claims. (Cl. 13426) This invention relates to cleansing solutions and more particularly to a solution which is especially adapted for the cleansing of paint brushes.

Among the principal objects of the present invention is to provide a stable solution which may be employed repeatedly as a paint brush cleaner and which includes as its active ingredients a solvent for the paint and an agent which serves to disperse and emulsify the dissolved paint on the bristles of the brush when the latter is rinsed in water, the emulsified paint and solvent being thereby readily washed off of the brush bristles to completely free the latter of all paint.

A further object of the invention is to provide a paint brush cleansing solution which not only is adapted to be used over and over again but which also is adapted to be used in its prepared form to quickly and effectively remove from the paint brush all vestiges of paint, the solution being especially effective upon paint brushes immediately after use thereof and prior to hardening and/or oxidizing of the paint thereon in consequence of which a single paint brush used with one paint may be quickly re-conditioned for use with another paint.

I have discovered that when certain non-ionic surface active agents, such as the polyoxyalkylene poly-hydric alcohol fatty esters, the polyoxalkylene thio ethers, the polyoxyalkylene fatty esters and the alkyl aryl polyether alcohols, are combined with a suitably compatible organic solvent for paints, there is provided a solution which is ideally adapted as a cleanser for paint brushes, it having been noted by me that when paint brushes coated with paint are initially dipped in the solution for a period of time just sufficient to effect dilution of the paint on the bristles of the paint brush and are then rinsed under cold water flowing from a tap, the dissolved paint is immediately and completely converted into an oil-in-water type emulsion which is readily and freely washed from the brush by the flowing stream of water.

The most effective of the non-ionic surface active agents having the requisite detergent properties are those with a balanced lipophile-hydrophile structure having an HLB value of from 8 to 15 according to the Atlas HLB System of classifying and selecting emulsifiers as described in an articleby William C. Grifiin entitled Classification of Surface-Active Agents by HLB, published in the Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists, vol. 1, No. 5, December, 1949, examples of which are as follows:

Atlox 1045 A (polyoxyethylene sorbitol oleate-laurate containing 52.2 per cent by weight of combined ethylene oxide and having an HLB of 13) manufactured by Atlas Powder Company.

Nonisol 210 (a polyoxyethylene fatty ester, specifically polyoxyethylene oleate containing 42 per cent by weight of combined ethylene oxide and having an HLB of 8) manufactured by Alrose Chemical Company.

Sterox SK (a polyoxyethylene thio ether, specifically polyethylene glycol ether of dodecyl mercaptan containing 60.6 per cent by weight of combined ethylene oxide and having an HLB of 12) manufactured by Monsanto Chemical Company.

Triton X45 (an alkyl aryl polyether alcohol, specifically p-iso octyl phenyl ether of polyethylene glycol containing 58.1 per cent by weight of combined ethylene oxide and having an HLB of 9) manufactured by Rohm & Haas Company.

Triton X100 (an alkyl aryl polyether alcohol, specifically p-iso octyl phenylether of polyethylene glycol containing 70.3 per cent by weight of combined ethylene oxide and having an HLB of 13) manufactured by Rohm & Haas Company.

The following solvents used alone or in combination, have been found to be compatible and satisfactorily miscible with any and all of the foregoing non-ionic surface active agents: kerosene, mineral spirits, turpentine, benzol, xylol, toluol, acetone, butylacettae, butyl alcohol and ethyl alcohol.

Formulae which have proved to be especially efficacious for the cleansing of paint brushes are as follows:

Example I Parts by volume Polyoxyethylene sorbitol oleate-laurate (Atlox 5 Kerosene Example 11 Parts by volume Iso octyl phenyl ether of polyethylene glycol (Triton X 5 Toluol 95 Example III Parts by volume Triton X45 5 Kerosene 95 Example IV Parts by volume Sterox K 5 Xylol 47 /2 Kerosene 47 Example V Parts by volume Nonisol 210 5 Kerosene 95 Any of the above listed surface active agents or any combination thereof may be employed in lieu of those specifically mentioned in the above formulae, and similarly, the solvents mentioned in said formulae may be replaced by one or more of those above listed. Also, the relative proportion of the surface active agent and paint solvent may vary within reasonable limits, it having been found that the percentage of surface active agent or agents present in the complete solution may vary from 1 to 10 percent of the total volume of the solution and still provide satisfactory results.

In the use of the paint brush cleansing solution of the present invention, it is only necessary to work the paintcoated bristles of the brush in an amount of the solution sufiicient to completely cover the brush-bristles and for a time, approximately 30 seconds, suflicient to effect complete dissolution of the paint on the brush by the paint solvent component of the solution.

The brush is then removed from the solution and while still saturated therewith, it is washed under running tap water, preferably at room temperature, until the solution and admixed paint residuum is completely removed from the brush. The washing procedure is facilitated by working the brush bristles under the running water to insure complete mixture of the water with all of the solution to form an oil-in-water emulsion which is readily washed out of the brush by the stream of running water.

It may be explained that in the first phase of the cleansing operation, i. e., immersion of the brush bristles n the prepared solution, the paint residue on the brush is diluted or dissolved by the solvent component of the solution, while in the second phase of the operation, i. e., washing the solution-saturated brush under running water, the diluted paint is dispersed and emulsified by the non- 1on 1c surface active agent to form an oil-inwater emulsion WhlCh is freely washable from the brush. The washed brush is then towel dried, whereupon it is immediately ready for use.

An important attribute of the solution of the present invention is that it may be used repeatedly even with different colored paints. Should the paint residue present in the solution become so excessive as to interfere with eflicient use of the solution, it is only necessary to decant the supernatent solution to free it of the excessive M I M" painfdepo'sifl Inasmuch as the same batch of solution may be repeatedly used, a" given 'brush or a number of d fierent brushes may be given repeated rinsings in a single solution batch, thus eliminating the waste which would be involved in usingr fres'lztsolvent fo'r eaeh rinsmg. After treatment ashereinbefore" de'scriltx'ed the brushes are left remarkably clean'with their-bristlessoft and supple and ready for immediate use.

It will be understood, ofc'ourse, that-the p'reiseiit'inventlo'nis notlirnit'edto' the precise specifications-"and formulae hereinb'efo're set forth, but on thecontra'ry. is susceptible tovarious changes'and'niodifications, both asto ingredients and proportions thereof, whichrr iay 'be made from time to time and which comewi'thinthe gen eral" principles andreal spirit of'the inventio'n as lhereinbefore disclosedan'd as defined ir'i'th'e appended claims What is claimed as new and useful is:

1: A methodof cleaning oil base paint from paint brushes comprisingi the steps of immersinglbe oil= base paint laden brush in a cleansing composition consisting essentially. of: a non-ionic surface-active agent having pronounced hydrophilic properties and selected from the group consisting of polyoxyethylene sorbitol oleatelaurate-containing substantially 52.2 per cent by weight of combined'ethylene oxide, polyoxyethylene oleate containing substantially"42 p'er centby weight of combined ethyleneoxi'de, polyethylene glycol ether d'odecyfmercaptan containing substantially- 60.6 per cent by weight ofcombined ethylene oxide, p-iso octyl phenyl ether of polyethylene glycol containing substantially 58. 1per'cent by weight of combined ethylene oxide, and p-iso octyl phenyl ether of polyethylene glycol containing substantially 70.3 per cent by weight of ethylene oxide, in combination with a paint solvent in which said agent is 501- uble and 'which coacts with the agent 'in the presence of water to form an oil-in water emulsion, said surfaceactive agent being present in the amountofapproximately 1-10 per cent of the volume-ofthe cleansing solution; and 'thenflushing the brush in water, whereby there is formed and removed anoil-imwater emulsion carrying the paint.

2. A method of cleaning oil base paint from paint brushes compris'ingthe steps of immersing the oil base paint laden brush in a cleansing composition consisting essentiallyofi polyoxyethylene sorbitol oleate-laurate containing substantially 52.2 per cent by weight of combined ethylene oxide as a non-ionic surface-active agent having pronounced hydrophili'c properties, in combination with a paint solvent in which said agent is soluble and which coacts with the agent in the presence'of water to form an oil-in-water emulsion, saidsurface-active agent being present in the amount of approximately l-10 per cent of the volume of the cleansing solutionyand then flushing the'brush in water, whereby there isformed and removed an oil-in-water emulsion carrying the paint.

3. A method of cleaningv oilbase paint from pain! brushes'comprising. the steps of immersing-.theoil base paint laden brush' in a cleansing composition consisting essentially of: polyoxyethylene oleate containing substantially 42 per cent by weight of combined-ethylene oxide as a non-ionic surface-active agent having pronounced-hydrophilic properties, in combination-with a paint solvent in which said agent is soluble and which coacts with the agent in the presence of water to form an" oil-in-water' emulsion, said surface active" agent being present in the amount-0f approximately 1-10 per cent of the volume of the cleansing solution; and then flushing the brush in water, whereby there is formed and removed an oil-in-water emulsion carrying the paint.

4. A method of cleaning oilbase paint from paint brushes comprising th'e'steps of immersing the 011 base paint laden brush in a cleansing composition consisting essentially of: polyethylene glycol ether dodecyl mercaptan containing substantiallyv 60.6 percent by. weight of combined ethylene oxide as a non-ionic surface-active agent having pronounced hydrophilic properties, in combination with a paint solvent'in'which said agentis soluble and which coacts with the agent in the presence of water to form an oil-in-water emulsion, said surfaceactive agent being present in the amount of approximately 1-1O per cent of the volume of the cleansing solution; and-thenflushing "thebrush inwater, whereby there-is formed'andremovedan'oil-in-wateremulsion carrying the paint.

5'. A method" ofcleaning. oil base paint frompa-int brushes comprising the steps of 'irnrnersingthe oil'base paintladen brush inacleansing composition consisting essentially. of: priso octyl phenyb ether of polyethylene glycol-containing substantially 58.1 per cent-by. weight ofcombined ethylene oxide'as a non-ionic surface-active agent havingapronounced*hydrophilic properties, in combination withaplaint'solvent iii-which said agent is -soluble and which coacts with the agent in-the' presenceof water to form; an oil-in-water' emulsion, said surfaceactive agent being present in the amount of approximately: 1-10 per centof'the-volumeof the cleansing solut'ion; andthen fiushing=-the brush in water; whereby there'is formed and removed amoil-in-water emulsion carrying the paint.

6; A method of cleaning oil base paint from paint brushes comprising-the steps of immersing the/oil base paintladen brush in acleansing composition' consisting essentially of: p-iso' octyl phenyl ether of polyethylene glycol containing substantially 70.3 percent byweight of ethylene-oxide as a non-ionic surface-active agent having pronounced hydrophilic properties; in combinationwith ap'aint solvent inwhich said agent is soluble and which coacts with the agent in the presenceof water to form an" oil-in-water emulsion, said surfaceactive agent being present in the amount of approximately l-10 per cent of the volume of the cleansing solution; and then-flushing the brush in water, whereby'there is formed and removed an oiI-in-water' emulsion ca'rryin'g the paint;

The Chemical Formulary,. Bennett, vol. VI (1943),.

Chem; Pub.-Co'., N. Y., pages 4864.

Atlas Surface ActiveAgents,rAtlas'Powder Co, (1948 pages 8, 13 22, and 62 (Formulas 68 and 69).

Atlas Surface Active Agents, booklet published by- Atla's Powder Co'i, Wilmington" 99; Delaware (1948),.

Table 1 between pp. 6 and 7. (Copy in Div. 64.) 

1. A METHOD OF CLEANING OIL BASE PAINT FROM PAINT BRUSHES COMPRISING THE STEPS OF IMMERSING THE OIL BASE PAINT LADEN BRUSH IN A CLEANSING COMPOSITION CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF: A NON-IONIC SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENT HAVING PRONOUNCED HYDROPHILIC PROPERITIES AND SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF POLYOXYETHYLENE SORBITOL OLEATELAURATE CONTAINING SUBSTANTIALLY 52.2 PER CENT BY WEIGHT OF COMBINED ETHYLENE OXIDE, POLYOXYETHYLENE OLEATE CONTAINING SUBSTANTIALLY 42 PER CENT BY WEIGHT OF COMBINED ETHYLENE OXIDE, POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL ETHER DODECYL MERCAPTAN CONTAINING SUBSTANTIALLY 60.6 PER CENT BY WEIGHT OF COMBINED ETHYLENE OXIDE, P-ISO OCTYL PHENYL ETHER OF POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL CONTAINING SUBSTANTIALLY 58.1 PER CENT BY WEIGHT OF COMBINED ETHYLENE OXIDE, AND P-ISO OCTYL PHENYL ETHER OF POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL CONTAINING SUBSTANTIALLY 70.3 PER CENT BY WEIGHT OF ETHYLENE OXIDE, IN COMBINATION WITH A PAINT SOLVENT IN WHICH SAID AGENT IS SOLUBLE AND WHICH COACTS WITH THE AGENT IN THE PRESENCE OF WATER TO FORM AN OIL-IN-WATER EMULSION, SAID SURFACEACTIVE AGENT BEING PRESENT IN THE AMOUNT OF APPROXIMATELY 1-10 PER CENT OF THE VOLUME OF THE CLEANSING SOLUTION; AND THEN FLUSHING THE BRUSH IN WATER, WHEREBY THERE IS FORMED AND REMOVED AN OIL-IN-WATER EMULSION CARRYING THE PAINT. 